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[ShvetaMisra]

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[GMATinsight]

Hi Everyone,

I just took the GMAT and i scored a really low score of 540.This is a 60 point drop from my average mock test score .I am an Indian and my verbal section preparation was not that strong but i was sure for the quant part. I really don't know what happened (it dropped from 44 to 39). I was well prepared for the test , i was calm on the test day nor there were any timing issues that i can make out. I am really shattered why this happened , i almost prepared for 2.5 months.

I surely want to retake the exam .I completed MGMAT books and OG and magoosh videos. What to do know, how should i prepare again.Please suggest me what should i do ???

Best Regards
Shveta

Hi Shveta,

I am sure that you tried best but still it didn't help boost your score much. There could be various reasons for this to happen
1) Your preparation wasn't too strong
2) You didn't work very well on your strong parts which could have boosted your score
3) The material that you referred needed a more systematic approach to be referred
4) The day wasn't good
etc.

Irrespective of what reason really contributed more for such score, I would really be glad if I could do any bit to improve your score.

We have had decent success in helping students in retake so I would be glad to offer you a FREE DEMO CLASS to assess your problem areas and to suggest you for free how can the problem areas be worked upon.

You can get in touch through mail/call.

[[email protected]]

Hi Shveta,

You noted that your Quant Score dropped, but what about your Verbal Score? Since you asked about the Quant section, the short answer is that you made a number of silly mistakes and that's why your score dropped.

While you're probably not happy right now, it's worth noting that Business Schools don't care if you take the GMAT more than once. Also, now that you've experienced the Official GMAT, you'll be better prepared to face it the next time.

Before you reschedule your next GMAT, you need to consider a few things:
1) You mention that you spent 2.5 months studying, but your Verbal preparation was not strong. Why NOT? You either didn't do enough or what you were attempting to do was too difficult. In real basic terms, your Overall Score is half-Quant and half-Verbal; if you want to score at a high level on Test Day, then you have to put in enough prep work on BOTH sections.

2) Was there any aspect of Test Day that you DID NOT match with your CATs (time of day, day of the week, taking the entire CAT, etc.)?

3) Was there any non-Test aspect of Test Day that you didn't account for during your studies?

4) On your CATs, how often were you getting questions wrong because of a silly mistake? How often were you getting Verbal questions wrong because you "narrowed it down to 2 choices but guessed wrong?"

The GMAT is a predictable, standardized exam, so you can train to crush it. To score at a much higher level, you'll need to invest in some new resources, learn some new tactics and practice correctly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[ShvetaMisra]

Hi Rich,

Thanks a for such a clear and crisp reply. Yes you are very right, definitely i made silly mistakes and why i was not focused on working harder on Verbal section ?

And this happened with me very often that i got questions wrong because of silly mistakes and got Verbal questions wrong because i "narrowed it down to 2 choices but guessed wrong.

Rich , i mean till this time i was not able to realize all this.Thanks a lot.

Now when i am planning to go for a retake and now when i am dead serious about not to repeat all these mistakes again , please suggest me how much time should i take to prepare again and give the very best of me. I dont want to brag but i was always good in my academics, excelling every thing but GMAT came as a failure to me , yes i am disappointed ,but i made mistakes - so i got this.

Please give me some tips for my retake.I really want to do good this time.

Best Regards
Shveta Misra

[[email protected]]

Hi Shveta Misra,

It sounds like you have the right attitude to fix your mistakes and approach this whole process in a more effective way.

What is your goal score and what schools do you plan on applying to?

Since the GMAT is still fresh in your mind, it would probably be best to continue studying and retake the GMAT sooner rather than later.

Can you list your last few CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores), the date you took them and whether you took the Essay and/or IR? I'd like to see how you were performing during your lead-up to Test Day.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[ShvetaMisra]

Hi Rich,

I would like to share few things first , for the whole last month of my preparation i wasnt keeping well at all , i am a pregnant women and my health was not good throughout,but before that i was studying religiously ,following a proper study plan , but in the last month i lost my all of my focus.

Coming to my target score , i am planning to take admissions in the Dallas Universities only as my husband works here and i have kept it 650 (which is 50 points higher than what UTD wants for MS ITM) . I guess my health is better than the first time ,so i want to focus again and work harder.


My CAT scores :

23 May 2014 : Kaplan test 550 (Q 39 , V26)
Ist June ,2014 : Kaplan Test 590 ( Q44, V26)
12 June 2014 : GMAT prep 600 (Q44,28)

After that, i wasn't keeping well at all and didn't dare to take a mock before exam because i thought if i scored low, it would only demotivate me.

I completed MGMAT Books + OG 12 + OG 2nd edition (quant + verbal)+Magoosh videos , in the best way i could.

Now how do i start again ? And should i go through the same material again or add some new material like Kaplan Premier 2014 , Powerscore etc ??

Best Regards
Shveta Misra

[[email protected]]

Hi ShvetaMisra,

Your more recent practice CAT scores are really close to your goal score, so you might just need to continue studying as you have been and you could hit your goal. I suggest that you get back into "study mode" for a few weeks, then take a CAT. If your scores haven't improved, then you'll probably need to invest in some new resources.

During these next few weeks, you should put an emphasis on fixing the little things and the silly mistakes that you made on your prior CATs. These types of errors cost many Test Takers big points. Once you can remove them from your work, you'll find that it's far easier to raise your score.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[ShvetaMisra]

Thanks a lot Rich for all of your valuable suggestions. I will work on them.

Best Regards
Shveta Misra